


(Just) look over your shoulder

by Emily_Davison



Series: You'll Be in My Heart [10]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Academic Decathlon Inaccuracies, Adopted Peter Parker, Codependency, Crying, Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Field Trip, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Parent Tony Stark, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Character Death, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Has Anxiety, Peter Parker Has Issues, Peter Parker Has Panic Attacks, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker has PTSD, Peter Parker is a Mess, Peter wearing Tony's hoodies, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Poor Peter Parker, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Ned Leeds, Protective Tony Stark, Separation Anxiety, Teen Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony adopts Peter, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, academic decathlon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25031872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_Davison/pseuds/Emily_Davison
Summary: Peter has to leave for three days for the Academic Decathlon semi-finals, but his separation anxiety from a certain billionaire may make the situation a little harder than most to overcome...
Relationships: Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: You'll Be in My Heart [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723405
Comments: 18
Kudos: 311
Collections: carolina’s | fics that have been devouRED





	(Just) look over your shoulder

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to Ashleyparker2815 for helping me think up of a plot which could link to this chapter title, you're a star :)
> 
> Apologies for any inaccuracies regarding the Academic Decathlon, as we don't have events like that in England and I couldn't find much information when I researched into it :p This chapter is very very fluffy too, I didn't intend it to be full of so much platonic cuddling at all, so hope you guys enjoy :3
> 
> I'm planning on writing one more chapter for this series, before I return to writing my one-shots for my other series and although I'm very sad to see this one come to an end, I've had so much fun writing these characters and seeing their relationship grow on the page. Once I have finished this series, I will be able to divert my full attention to my other series and hopefully write better and longer chapters! 
> 
> Anyways, drabble over! Thank you for taking the time to read my stories, it honestly means the world to me! Kudos and comments make my day <3

Academic decathlon semi-finals were going to be taking place in Philadelphia next weekend. That was two nights and almost three full days away from Tony.

When Peter was handed the permission slip to give to his guardian, he accepted it on autopilot, but his mind had grown numb to the idea as soon as the words had left his teacher’s mouth. He felt a small slither of relief as the moment he had been handed the envelope had been during his last class and he wouldn’t have to mask the anxiety bubbling up under the surface with an ecstatic grin like the one Ned had as soon as their teacher announced the field trip details.

As soon as the bell rung, the sharp noise sent a shock of electricity right through Peter’s body and almost represented the alarm bells currently screaming in his head as he was brought back down to reality and the permission slip was clutched tightly in his hand for a brief second before it was shoved into the bottom of his bag, where he hoped he could forget about it. That was only wishful thinking. He couldn’t avoid the inevitable when the whole class was chirping about the upcoming competition amongst each other as they left the room, Ned blissfully unaware of the fact that his best friend was desperately trying to block out his overly enthusiastic ramblings about what kind of questions they might have; what the hotel would be like; how much are you going to study, Peter… _Nothing, I’m not going, I can’t go…I can’t._

Instead, he listened and simply nodded along, interjecting empty comments whenever it was appropriate and waving him goodbye when he headed in the direction of Mrs Leeds’ car. Peter released a heavy sigh through his nose and wandered in the direction of where he knew Tony’s shiny black Audi would be and his heart gave an uncomfortable jolt in his chest when he made eye contact with the man, whose window was down and arm hanging over the car door, which he waved to the teen with a pleasant smile on his handsome features. He suddenly felt an upsurge of affection towards his adopted father, startled when he had to blink back tears at the sudden onslaught of emotions overwhelmed him and he could only give a small, timid smile in return as he approached the vehicle.

“Hey, buddy,” Tony greeted, brightly, when the teen climbed into the passenger seat and stored his backpack by his feet in front of him. Peter sniffled a little, swiping at his wet eyes with the sleeve of his blue jumper and cursing himself for not being able to show a happy face to the man.

“Hi,” Peter replied, weakly, flashing his eyes to the billionaire’s equally dark chocolate brown ones for a brief second before lowering them to the floor. _Jesus, pull yourself together_ , _Dad’s happy to see you and you’re acting all shady_. The internal lecture still couldn’t distract him from the impending permission slip stored away in the bag and was probably crumpled up now from being unceremoniously shoved underneath piles of books.

“Lordy! Kid, you look like you’ve just been given the death sentence, you got anything you wanna tell me?” Tony observed, regarding the boy with worried eyes, fore-head creasing with his concern as he wracked his brain to think about what could possibly have made his kid appear so pale and almost on the verge of a panic attack.

“Decathlon semi-finals, they’re in Philadelphia. They’re next weekend, the whole weekend. Not just Saturday and Sunday, but Friday too,” Peter rhymed off after a split second, not being able to bottle up his thoughts any longer and the words spilled of his tongue like a waterfall, slurring together with the increased anxiety currently transgressing through him. “I can’t go, I can’t, I can’t leave you, Dad, I can’t, I-I-“ His voice wavered and broke, then the flood gates were broken.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Tony spoke, soothingly, reaching over the centre console and ignoring the dig of the gear stick into his side as he cupped his son’s face with firm hands. “Shh, shh, shh, look at me, bud, look at me,” he directed, softly, thumbs swiping the sudden stream of tears cascading down the boy’s cheeks as small sobs and stuttered breaths escaped him. “That’s it. Deep breaths, okay? Follow my breathing, in out, in out. That’s it…good boy,” Tony murmured, repeating the exercise he had used many times before when Peter became overwhelmed by his emotions and it broke his heart to see his son crying like this, struggling to breathe properly as it was something he himself was well accustomed with. He wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on anybody; especially not someone as young as Peter.

“You with me, Pete?” The billionaire asked, tentatively, after a few more moments of exaggerated breathing as he scrutinised his kid’s tearful expression closely. Peter sniffled again, but nodded after a few seconds, his breathing returned to a regular circulation once again once he managed to latch onto his father’s comfort which always anchored him to reality and reassure him that he was safe. Tony exhaled briefly through his nose and removed his hands from the teen’s face, gaze unwaveringly protective as he watched the boy for any other signs of increased anxiety as it wouldn’t be the first time that he thought he had successfully managed the issue, only to realise that the poor kid still couldn’t switch his brain off.

“Yeah, I just…I don’t want to leave you…I don’t want to be alone again,” Peter spoke, quietly, voice hoarse and weary as he wiped at his eyes and Tony’s heart broke once again at the despairing look on his face. He reached over and gripped the boy’s hand, which had been nervously tugging on a loose string on the hem of his jumper as his gaze seemed to become clouded over with something the concerned parent couldn’t quite place, but he knew that wherever his kid’s mind was going wasn’t good.

“You won’t be alone, pal. Ned will be there and I’m sure that girlfriend of yours will be stuck to you too,” Tony said, a slight tease to his tone as he mentioned MJ, knowing that it would get his kid to smile again as he knew that Peter hadn’t actually made a move yet on the girl he liked even though he was crazy for her.

Peter snickered at this, a rosy blush filling his pale cheeks immediately at the mention of his crush. “MJ’s not my girlfriend,” he amended, rolling his eyes at the way his Dad could implement humour to any situation, but it was just another thing that he admired and loved the man for. “-and anyway, it’s not the same without you being there, Dad. I’ll really miss you and I’ll be miserable all the time,” he added, tone remaining steady to maintain the seriousness of his situation.

The amused grin dropped from the man’s face after the topic of Peter’s love life was dropped and his brows furrowed in intense concern. _God, this kid_. He couldn’t go through life always wanting to be with him, no matter how much they both would be quite happy to do just that and spend endless days in the lab with no responsibilities to worry about. Even after living together for just over four months now, it still amazed Tony that the teen had such strong feelings towards him and it melted his heart to know that this brilliant kid was his, his little spider. He released a small puff of air through his nose and smiled, affectionately at his son, squeezing his hand warmly. “Honey, you can’t think like that. I’m always gonna be here no matter where you go, I’m only a phone call away and it’s only two and a half days, bud,” he spoke, genially, thumb caressing the skin of his son’s hand as he continued. “Besides, you love Decathlon and you’re the smartest kid in the whole dang school, they’re going to need you there.”

Peter smiled, bashfully, the pink hue to both cheeks deepening in colour and he ducked his head shyly. “Yeah, but you _have_ to say that, you’re my Dad,” he murmured, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand, which he often did when he was nervous or the sole focus of attention.

“Na ah, nope, neda, I’m only voicing the truth!” Tony retorted, passionately, releasing their hands to chug his kid underneath the chin to coax him into making eye contact again. “C’mon, Pete, I know you can do this. Just think about how you can win for the team and how good you’ll feel.”

“You really think so?” Peter asked, brown eyes meeting their twins once more and the boy anxiously chewed on his bottom lip as he absorbed what his father was really saying, smiling apologetically when Tony tapped his to stop him from breaking the skin.

“Yeah, kiddo, of course I do. Have I, your not so subtly deemed ‘Iron Dad’, ever lied to you?” Tony joked, lightly, raising a challenging eyebrow at the boy.

Peter giggled at this, eyes lighting up with unquestionable humour at the man’s teasing and he shook his head. “Alright, alright, and that wasn’t me, that was Rhodey!” He objected, causing the billionaire to let out a scoff as his hand reached to put his seatbelt on and start the car.

“Yeah, whatever you say short stuff,” he chuckled, putting the car into first gear and taking them out of the car park. “You’re going to blow them all away, bud, I just know it.”

Peter’s smile strained slightly as his thoughts drifted to the events of next weekend, but for now he could relax because he was with Tony and that was all that mattered.

…

Peter had one of the worst night’s sleep he could remember the day before he was due to leave for the field trip. He couldn’t even remember sleeping as badly during the first week after his aunt’s passing when he had suffered from severe insomnia. He spent most of the night tossing and turning, unable to switch his brain off and he eventually gave up at around three in the morning to sneak into his Dad’s room. He didn’t want to wake him up and he knew that it wasn’t normal for a fifteen-year-old to be sleeping in their parent’s bedroom every other night, but the teen couldn’t face a few more long hours trying and failing to go to sleep in his own bed. He slipped under the duvet slowly so as not to risk rousing the older man from his slumber and placed his head on the pillow beside his father’s. Tony’s back was to him, but he already felt so much more relaxed by just having the man’s warm, soothing presence in close proximity to him and it didn’t take long for him to drift off to sleep.

Tony was the first to wake up, as always, and at some point, he had rolled over in his sleep to wrap an arm around Peter and bury his face in his soft chestnut curls. He was roused by the sweet smell of his son’s apple scented shampoo and he nuzzled his nose into the boy’s hair subconsciously, having always loved the smell, and planted a small kiss there whilst his awareness of his surroundings slowly returned to him. His brows creased in confusion as he sluggishly pulled back and sat himself up to look down at his sleeping kid and wondered when the teen had snuck into his room last night. His gaze softened when he noticed Peter was hugging his pillow to his chest and he was sporting a pretty impressive bed head, but whilst his heart melted at how young and innocent the boy appeared now, his smile dropped slightly when he realised that Peter must have been having a horrendous time trying to get to sleep last night if he had had to crawl into his bed.

Tony glanced at the clock and sighed, sadly, when he saw that it was half past seven, knowing that Peter needed to be at his school for nine, so he could board the bus to Philadelphia. The teen had already packed his belongings the night before, but the billionaire wanted to make sure his kid ate something substantial and washed before he dropped him off and his heart rate was already rapidly increasing as he thought about Peter’s separation anxiety and how they were going to combat that whilst he was away. He sighed, softly and gently ran his fingers through his son’s curls, bending to press a kiss to his fore-head. He soon rose to get dressed into a casual dark blue top with elbow length white sleeves and black jeans, before taking his old MIT hoody from the wardrobe and heading to Peter’s room to slide the item of clothing underneath the teen’s pile of his own tops and jeans, hoping that having his Dad’s scent so close to him would help calm him like it always seemed to when Tony was physically there. With that rather melancholic thought lingering in his mind, the billionaire shuffled back to his room to wake his kid and get their pancakes on the go.

…

When Tony pulled up in front of Midtown School of Science and Technology and saw the school bus with students and their parents making their farewells, his heart immediately sunk. He didn’t even need to look over at Peter to see the inevitable panic and fear on his face; he could practically feel it emitting off the kid in waves. Sometimes he wondered whether he had picked up on Peter’s Spidey senses as he seemed to have become so attuned to his son’s emotions now that they didn’t even need to communicate. Tony switched the engine off and leant back in his seat. He had parked a decent distance away from the crowd of people so that no-body would see Peter getting out of the billionaire Tony Stark’s shiny, expensive Audi and also so that they would have their privacy to say their goodbyes. He could sense his kid’s big brown eyes gazing sorrowfully at him and he turned his head to match his eyeline, heart breaking when he saw a thin sheen of tears sparkling across the boy’s eyelashes and dripping down his face.

“I don’t wanna go, I can’t!” Peter sobbed, reaching over the centre console desperately for his father, fingers curling as he grasped for the man’s top. “Please, Dad, I can’t do this!”

Tony’s expression scrunched up for a second at the internal pain of seeing his son down heartened and terrified, begging him with his puppy dog eyes to not send him out of the car. There was only one thought on his mind when he saw his son look at him like that and who was he to ignore his paternal instincts when his kid was hurting. “C’mere, baby,” he murmured, holding his arms out for the boy to crawl into and Peter didn’t even hesitate to climb over the centre console and plonk himself in his father’s lap, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck and clinging him to him like the little spider monkey he was. He clawed at the soft material of his Dad’s top, hiccupping on sobs as he desperately tried to curb his cries and he found that deeply inhaling the man’s comforting scent of his favourite deodorant and the discreet smell of the motor oil from the lab helped calm him immensely. “I know you can do this, Pete, you’re going to be brilliant and I’m gonna be so damn proud of you,” Tony spoke into his kid’s hair, vehemently, wrapping his arms around the teen and squeezing him tightly. “It’s only a few days, buddy, just a few days and I’m always going to be on call, so you’ll never be rid of my natural charm,” he joked, lightly and the teen chortled on a weak laugh between a sob as he snuggled into his father’s sturdy chest.

“I’m gonna miss you _so_ much,” Peter punctuated, wiping his tears on the man’s top and Tony’s heart melted at the declaration combined with such an innocent gesture from his kid.

“I know, pal, you just miss hard and that’s okay. I’m going to miss my little spider like crazy too,” Tony spoke, softly, gradually becoming occupied with nuzzling and kissing his son’s curls, partly as a way to soothe the boy, but also because he was allowed to be extra attentive when this was going to be the longest time they would be apart and that thought alone gave the billionaire just as much anxiety as his kid, probably more so. It was a fact that Peter wouldn’t ever complain about boundless amount of physical affection being bestowed upon him anyway. “C’mon, buddy, let’s get this show on the road, alright?” Tony announced after a few more minutes of snuggling and he gave the boy one last warm squeeze, once he noticed that Peter’s cries had tapered off and he was only letting out the odd sniffle, before gently easing his head from his chest.

Peter nodded and wiped at his eyes as he allowed his father to open the door, so they could head to the boot and collect his overnight bag, where he slung it over his shoulder and quickly glanced in the direction of where Ned was chatting with another boy in their class. He smiled at how much better this trip would be when he had his best friend there with him and he turned to Tony, who was watching him with a knowing look in his warm, dark eyes. Peter latched his arms around his father’s torso to give him one last hug which he could commit to memory, tucking his head underneath the man’s chin as he wasn’t quite tall enough to place it atop his shoulder. Tony immediately reciprocated the embrace, wrapping his arms around his son and placed a sweet kiss in the boy’s silky curls.

“Love you,” Peter mumbled into the fabric of his Dad’s shirt, inhaling his scent once more.

“Love you tons, kiddo and I’m so proud of you,” the billionaire murmured into his hair. Peter smiled at this and leant into the man for just a moment longer, before reluctantly pulling away. He gave one last wave, before turning and jogging over to where Ned was, who greeted him with a warm hug. It didn’t completely dampen his anxiety, but it was as close to a content mind as he could get for now.

…

When Peter found Tony’s hoodie neatly folded at the bottom of his bag, he was unpacking in the hotel room he shared with Ned once they had been checked in and they were getting ready for bed. He felt a lump in his throat and the telltale sting of tears at the backs of his eyes as he held the soft material in his hands and he didn’t feel any shame when he brought the top to his face to inhale deeply, lip trembling when the unique scent he was well accustomed to instantly assaulted his senses.

“Hey, dude. You okay?” Ned asked from where he was sitting on his own single bed across the room, watching his friend with brows furrowed in concern.

Peter managed a small smile, tearing his eyes away from where they had been scrutinised a tiny burn mark on the sleeve of the hoody from where Tony had obviously been wearing it down in the lab one time and he hadn’t been able to get rid of it since. The teen knew every little detail about this sweatshirt, as he wore it more than his Dad did, but it still always seemed to smell like him, probably because it was usually placed back in the man’s wardrobe after the odd wash, before Peter stole it off him again. The best thing was that Tony knew how much his kid liked ‘borrowing’ his clothes because he found the man’s scent comforting, so the billionaire had begun purposefully placing items of clothing back in his own walk in wardrobe, so Peter could bask in his Dad’s smell as much as he wanted. Tony honestly loved this little quirk that just came with living with his little man and he found it too cute not to simply indulge in, so packing that hoodie in the teen’s bag was a no brainer .

“Yeah, Dad packed his hoody for me,” Peter sniggered, wasting no time in pulling it over his head and relishing in the softness of the cotton and the smell of his father’s deodorant as well as the slight pungent flicker of motor oil from down in the lab overwhelmed him immediately. It just felt like being at home again and even though his Dad wasn’t there with him, it reminded him that he would see him again very soon. _Speaking of Dad_ …”I’m gonna call him just to tell him thanks, alright?” He announced, digging into his jacket pocket for his phone.

“Yeah sure, man, it kinda suits you even though Mister Stark is obviously taller,” Ned laughed, eyeing up the obvious sweater paws and how the hem of the hoodie stopped a good few inches past his friend’s waistline.

“Yeah, well he’s my Dad so he’s allowed to be taller,” Peter returned the smile, before slipping into the bathroom to dial the billionaire’s number.

“Hey, buddy! How you getting on?” Tony answered cheerily on the second beep, his pleasant tone filling the teen’s chest with warmth.

“I love you,” Peter choked out through a weak laugh, causing the man to return a hearty, yet hesitant chuckle as he wondered where that had come from.

“I love you too, Pete, but you wanna tell me where the sudden love declarations are coming from?” Tony replied.

“I’ll give you a clue, I’m wearing it now,” the teen supplied, admiring himself in the bathroom mirror.

“Ah. I couldn’t have my little man going cold at night, now could I?” Tony teased, lightly, tone warm and affectionate.

Peter giggled. “I miss you,” he voiced his thoughts, smiling sadly and he brought the sleeve of the hoodie up to wipe at his damp eyelashes, willing himself not to cry.

“Aw, I know, buddy. I miss you too, but it’s only two more sleeps and then you’ll be on your way back,” Tony reassured. “How does pizza down in the lab sound once we’ve unpacked?” He suggested, knowing that distracting his son from concentrating on spending the next borderline forty-two hours apart would help him look forward to coming home to a treat.

“It sounds awesome,” Peter expressed. “BBQ chicken, right?”

“With extra pickles,” Tony added, smugly, knowing his kid’s preferences inside and out.

“Yes! I can’t wait!”

Tony chuckled at his son’s enthusiastic reply. “Alright, kiddo, I’ll let you get back to your friend. Good luck tomorrow, but I know you don’t need it, smart ass.”

Peter cracked up at that. “You can’t say stuff like that! There are other smart kids in my school, you know?”

“Yeah, but you’re what counts in my eyes, right?” Tony expressed, lovingly and it brought a wide smile to the teen’s face at hearing the utter devotion in his father’s tone.

“Love you,” Peter spoke, quietly, unable to form any witty comeback to such a provocative statement.

“Love you more, Pete. Bye bye!” After that cheery farewell, he was gone, but Peter still had the hoody.

…

The next day, the team performed admirably and secured their place into the second half of the semi-final taking place the next day after answering the most questions correctly and the group of students were ecstatic. Peter even found that he was enjoying himself immensely along with his fellow competitors and for the afternoon, they went on a tour bus to visit the Liberty Bell, the City Hall and the Museum of Art, where both Ned and Peter took many photos to show their parents when they returned. Ned was incredibly understanding when Peter would go quiet at some points during the day, as he knew how close his friend and Mr Stark had become since he adopted Peter; even reassuring the other boy that he could call the billionaire before they headed into the City Hall with the rest of their group and Peter had smiled gratefully, before going and doing just that. All in all, the day had gone much smoother than Peter had initially feared, and he was actually looking forward to tomorrow to beat their rivals and secure a place in the final competition.

…

They won! Peter couldn’t believe it, he had managed to answer the winning question which got them through! Ned wrapped him up in a huge bear hug, which he warmly replicated and Mj and even Flash were cheering for his victory. It had been a tricky round, but the last question was so perfect it seemed to have been made just for Peter to answer as it consisted of describing a minimum of two of the four main categories of titanium alloy, which the teen was very familiar with thanks to working with his Dad’s suits on a daily basis down in the lab. Peter immediately beeped in, before the other team even got the chance to let the question sink in and it was all over after that.

The moment Peter got the chance, he called Tony to inform him of the good news, laughing when the man expressed how proud he was and that he had known all along that they would do well; it didn’t surprise him at all that his kid had answered the winning question and he was quiet amused that it so happened to be about the material he used to make his suits with. Peter felt like he was riding on an extreme high when they returned to the hotel to collect their belongings and take the bus back to New York, giddy with barely concealed excitement as they travelled back home. He couldn’t wait to see his Dad again and have that promised takeaway pizza, but he was also happy with how well the field trip had turned out. He hoped that the next one wouldn’t be too soon, although this had been a major step in dealing with his separation anxiety and the strange co-dependency situation he had with his father.

Dad: _Hey, pal. We’re parked round the back, see you in five x_

Peter smiled at the text and was itching to get off the bus once they pulled up in the parking lot of the school. He and Ned did their special handshake ritual, as always, before he waved him goodbye and headed towards the back. His face split into a huge grin when he saw Tony leaning against the side of their black Lincoln, the back door open and the distinct form of Happy sitting in the driver’s seat, before he bolted towards his guardian. The billionaire shot him that knowing smile he always did when right before they were about to facilitate physical affection, before his handsome features lit up with an equally jaw splitting grin as he held his arms open wide for Peter to run into. The teen didn’t just do that, he launched himself onto his adopted father, legs immediately wrapping around the man’s waist and arms around his neck, where he buried his face into and began whimpering.

“Hey, buddy. I know, I know, I missed you too,” Tony chuckled, warmly, the sound just above Peter’s left ear as the genius tilted his head against his son’s and turned his face to press a sweet kiss to his soft cheek.

“I missed you _so_ much!” Peter whined and sniffled back his tears as he nuzzled his face into his father’s shoulder, leaning into the man’s tender touch as he threaded calloused fingers through chestnut curls and rocked them slowly from side to side.

Tony’s heart was melting and fluttering as he held his kid in his arms, finding his clinginess to be beyond adorable and it once again crossed his mind to wonder what on earth he did to deserve this boy. “Shh, I’m here now, Underoos. You’re gonna have to loosen up a little bit here, kid, you’re choking Dad,” he chuckled, gently tugging on small strands of Peter’s hair.

Peter laughed, weakly, easing his mega tight grip around his father’s neck and pulling back to shyly plant a quick kiss on his cheek, before unlatching his legs and letting them support his body weight again, but he kept his arms wrapped around the man’s torso. “I don’t wanna let go,” Peter spoke, voice muffled from where half of his face was pressed into his Dad’s chest. “I’m making up for lost time.”

Tony grinned and shook his head, squeezing his son warmly. “Alright, pal, but you’ve gotta let me get in the car first and then you can go full spider slash koala-octopus mode on me,” he joked, relinquishing his hold despite the small whine of protest and climbing into the back seat, scooting across to the far side. It was less than ten seconds later when Peter followed, climbing over the seats to plonk himself on the man’s lap after dumping his bag on the floor, legs straddling either side of his thighs and head once more burying in his neck.

Happy met Tony’s eyeline in the rear-view mirror with a knowing smile, before pressing the button to slide the screen up separating the front and back and give them some privacy. “I got Happy to drive so we could do this, I just know my little Spider-Baby so well, huh?” Tony murmured, kissing the top of his son’s head before resting his chin there and cuddling him close.

“Mhm…” Peter mumbled, leaning most of his body weight against his father as his body succumbed to the pent-up exhaustion he had been withholding for most of the trip back. He released a heavy sigh of contentment, eyes slipping shut as he nuzzled his head underneath his Dad’s chin, feeling safe and warm when the man’s chest vibrated against his as he chuckled, lowly.

“Go to sleep, Pete, I’m not going anywhere,” Tony spoke, quietly, smiling when about five minutes later the teen’s soft snores were resonating through his body. _God, he loved this kid_.


End file.
